January 2, 2012

Hi Family!...

wow, the first email of 2012.

Feliz ano novo para ti tambem pai! Let me guess...google translate? I bet your Spanish gets you to the meaning.

Wait so it really sounded like the tone of my voice was moving a lot when I was talking to you all? That is a Rio Grande do |Sul thing, maybe the argentines too. Not sure. But i have noticed it too...it sounds a little femmy sometimes. But you all sounded the same!

Your trip down to Mexico for ice cream and chicken sounds great! Those little unexpected things in life make it fun, spontaneous. I love spontaneous.

.

Wow, Torrin sounds like he is doing great, and keeping plenty busy, that is the best thing ever, he is loving it! What apostle spoke to them for Christmas, I was talking to Elder Arnow, Mesa, az!, and when he was at the Mtc last year they had one of the  apostles talk to them 3 times in 2 days...lucky. Not sure if i already told you about Elder Arnow, but he is my zone leader right now and he is the man. We like to play basketball in the morning too, it is pretty cool. He has a year and a little on the mission so he will return about 4 months before me. He served in the States awaiting visa for about 6 months.

Hey church time of 9 is better than 3 the afternoon, ha we have very little work on Sunday because of this. But that is cool, i always thought that 11 o’clock was the best time. But i am liking the morning now.

Ashley is talking to those boys here?? no! Oh well, in reality they don´t have a chance and Ashley will most likely stop talking to them very soon...hint hint. But that is funny, what do they say? And i will pass that message along for Brother Wagner, he is traveling right now, in Parana, but he should be coming back soon.

Portuguese is different than Spanish, but we understood each other! That was cool! It helps that i already know a little Spanish. An example, i was able to read that entire pamphlet about the temples that Nicole sent me in Spanish.

Dad, not your grammar too- (language beautiful?) it is Beautiful language. You really are studying a lot of Spanish! And just let mom make fun of you two...she is just jealous :)

Your next activity sounds awesome Dad! Wow, i am jealous now. It sounds like you have everything, but maybe you could do a run too. A 5k or something like that. I bet you would get a lot of people around there to participate, families to watch one another, and ultimately stay. You should talk to the Relief society about doing some kind of activity or craft or something simple for mothers. You have a lot of young mothers there in those apartments with the med students. The Elder´s quorum should be in charge of advertising there on campus, where a shirt if they need to. That would be cool. But it sounds like it will do great! How is that whole I am a Mormon campaign going? Lots of success?

For the New Year our schedule was the same as always. But for lunch we had churrasco of lamb, pig and bull....mmmmm. I have had more meat during this Season than ever before. The Brasilians like new years a lot. It is a tradition in some parts to dress in all white for the New Year. And people were doing fire works all night. I made rice with milk, it is sweet and serve with cinnamon, and went to bed! I slept through the New Year :)

New years party until 10?? Sounds like quite the party...pff

Congrats on Stugo convention Ashley! That is awesome! And Dland in a month? wow, it is all play for you huh? kidding! I know you are working hard. How is prom going?

The good ol play it again band, I hope dad is storing a shirt for me! Ha. Did the star wars people do it again? And those little hot rods? Feel free to ride my longboard mom! You can use it all you want.

They have another mission impossible??? Weird, but keep that list going :) We can go to Mexico and watch movies the entire week.

So we were heading home and stopped by the market to get some things for new years, i was going to make rice with milk. I asked this elderly lady a question about making it and the next thing i know she is leading me around the store throwing things in my basket, ha! Elder Suzarte wasn´t very amused, but i thought it was hilarious! And it turned out good too! Needless to say: i got her adress and passed it along to the other elders.

We found and taught a few new families this week.

Macelo and Simone(married with 2 kids) and Simone´s mom, Erika:

Simone and Erika are Espíritas but were open, Marcelo doesn´t have a religion. When we were teaching the spirit was very strong, i knew it was testifying to them. When i was teaching and testifying it was like i wasn´t even talking, my mouth was just moving and the words were coming out, i could see in their eyes the recognition of something divine. I really felt like an instrument in the hands of the Lord. At the end Simone said, I don´t know why, but i believe you, i believe this is true. She actually got a little confused for a second with the Book of Mormon, Said that she didn´t need another testimony, she knew ours was true, ha!

Erivelt and Aline_ These two own a antiques and collectibles shop. I was on splits with Elder Ewer and we had an awesome lesson, not an experience like the last one, but it went very well. They are very curious about these things and the missionaries visited the family of Aline when she was a girl. They are a young couple. 28 years, around there. But we are visiting them today.

I am loving everything i am doing here, It really is the best things i could be doing right now. I am so grateful for this opportunity. If any of you want a little more in your life, talk to someone about the gospel. The biggest blessings come from this.

I love you all and am remembering you in my prayers,

Elder Bradley J. Dawson